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Panel, CPMC and community outline plan to rebuild St. Luke's; neighbors and clinicians press for more beds and services
Summary
A Blue Ribbon Panel and CPMC told the committee they will keep the existing St. Luke's open while building a new acute‑care community hospital and invest $200 million; community speakers urged larger bed counts, restored pediatric and psychiatric services, and continued transparency and oversight.
The committee heard the Blue Ribbon Panel’s report and California Pacific Medical Center’s (CPMC) commitment to rebuild St. Luke’s Hospital in a lengthy Oct. 27 hearing that combined hospital leadership presentations and extensive public testimony.
Supervisor Tom Ammiano and panel members described the Blue Ribbon process as a cross‑stakeholder effort that achieved consensus on major goals to preserve St. Luke’s as a community hospital. Bishop Andress and Dr. Mitch Katz commended the panel’s work. CPMC President and CEO Martin Brotman briefed the committee on the hospital commitments and the board’s unanimous approval of panel recommendations; he said the St. Luke’s campus will be fully integrated into CPMC’s system and “will be a state of the art community hospital, supported by ambulatory care access in new community clinics” and connected to tertiary care at other campuses.
Brotman said the CPMC board had authorized planning and a commitment of approximately $200 million to rebuild St. Luke’s and integrate services. He said the hospital would remain open until the new facility is built and described plans for outpatient access points and centers of excellence focused on senior and community health needs.
Jeffrey Nelson, CPMC enterprise development director, described early planning and site options and said the team is pursuing phased construction strategies and compliance with state planning and seismic (SB 1953) deadlines. Nelson noted the project had not yet been fully sized and that pending EIR and master plan steps would shape final timelines and bed counts.
Public testimony — from doctors, nurses, labor leaders, neighborhood organizations and patients — repeatedly asked for clarity on future bed counts (many speakers said a 60–80 bed figure reported in some materials appeared too small), restoration or maintenance of pediatric and psychiatric inpatient services, concrete guarantees on skilled‑nursing and subacute capacity, and protections for charity care and workforce terms. Several clinicians urged that CPMC keep St. Luke’s configured to serve the neighborhood’s higher needs rather than shift higher‑margin services to other campuses.
Supervisors and panel members emphasized the need for continued transparency, medical and nursing collaboration, and follow‑through on master plan steps, including EIR certification and coordination with city departments. The committee concluded the hearing and noted it would continue oversight as CPMC moves from Blue Ribbon recommendations to detailed planning and implementation.
